Vejer de la Frontera

The most spectacular of all Andalucía's pueblos blancos (white villages), the Moorish hilltop town of Vejer is unspoilt by tourism, with cobbled streets housing craft shops, flamenco bars and tapas restaurants and pretty squares from which to watch the sun set in the valley below. Boutique hotel La Casa del Califa (+34 956 447730) has doubles from €69. Annie Manson, runs food holidays including cookery lessons and market visits (anniebsspanishkitchen.com)

Cazalla de la Sierra

Do as the power brokers of Seville do at weekends and head to Cazalla de la Sierra, a beautifully preserved white town on the border of Extremadura. Here the rich have their estates, and celebrites such as Sam Taylor-Wood and Kate Moss hang out. It's great for the traditional Romería festival on the second Sunday in August.Jon Clarke, owner of The Olive Press newspaper

Zuheros

Located in the heart of the untouched Sierras Subbéticas, yet only five minutes off the main road between Granada and Córdoba, Zuheros is about as picture-postcard a pueblo blanco as you can get. Backed by dramatic limestone cliffs and the Bailon gorge, it has a Moorish castle, great views and whitewashed streets. Go for a walk along the scenic via verde (the reclaimed "olive train" railway line), visit the cueva de murciélagos (bat cave) nearby, sample the excellent local goat's cheese, and enjoy a beer on the castle square at the popular Los Palancos restaurant, resplendent with photos of visiting Real Madrid stars, including David Beckham and Ronaldo.Tim Murray Walker, owner of nearby Casa Olea (doubles €85)

San José

In the Cabo de Gata national park at the far south-eastern tip of Spain, San José has a spectacular setting, with dusky brown mountains, white houses, a palm-tree lined beach and a lively, cosmopolitan atmosphere with lots of bars, good fish restaurants and craft stalls. Just inland are desert villages such as Rodalquilar, with pretty New Mexico-style adobe houses, and an easy drive up the coast finds some stunning beaches – Playa de Carbon, Playa de Mónsul and the vast Playa de los Genovés, most of which are gratifyingly quiet, even in high season. Fiona Flores Watson, contributing editor of andalucia.com

And beaches… El Cañuelo

This stunning kilometre-long stretch of sand, just a short way west of Almuñecar, fans out between two rocky headlands and has been preserved thanks to its difficult access: you need to leave your car 3km from the sea then hop on a minibus, which runs a shuttle every 20 minutes or so. Just metres from the sand are two first-class chiringuitos (beach bars) where you can feast on the freshest of fish at half the price you'd pay further west along the Costa del Sol.Guy Hunter-Watts, Andalucia expert for hotels website i-escape.com

Maro

Maro is one of the few villages on southern Spain's Mediterranean coast to have retained its charm, thanks largely to the Larios family's reluctance to develop the extensive sugar cane estates that wrap around the village. The coast to east and west of the village has recently been declared a natural park, and difficult access to its secluded beach of dark sand – you have to walk a few hundred metres – means that many eschew this very pretty swathe of sand. Head inland to stay at The Fountainhead, near Riogordoin (suites from £199). GH-W

Bolonia

About 25km north of Tarifa, this beach is an arc of fine sand which ends in high dunes. It also has a number of excellent fish restaurants, as well as the Roman ruins of Baelo Claudio, from where garum (Roman fish sauce)was exported to all corners of the empire. The beach is far enough from Cádiz and Seville to ensure you can stake your claim on the sand even in the summer months, but always check windguru.com: when the levante is blowing it's difficult to even walk here. GH-W

La Barrosa

Stretching between the watchtower of El Puerco and the ruined fishing village of Sancti Petri, La Barrosa encompasses 8km of fine white sand. Expect to see plenty of other bathers at its northern end if you're visiting in the summer, but there's far less action as you head south. GH-W